who is Jesus?

will we recognize him when he comes? really. will we recognize him?

it struck me this last friday, while watching "the passion of the Christ," that we (the general church) might have bit of arrogance. we might be the pharisees and the sadducees and all the other jewish leaders of Jesus' time.

they looked at him and screamed "blasphemer! you're not the Messiah!" why? because his way of living and teaching threatened their way of life, their power over those around them. did they stop to consider that maybe the Messiah wouldn't look like they expected? that his kingdom may not be the force that would destroy Rome in that generation? did they stop to ask the Holy Spirit, in humility, if the Messiah had come? were they in tune with God? they rejected the Messiah! they spit on him, tortured him and sought to destroy him.

what will we, the church, the body of Christ, do when Christ returns? are we ready for him? are we ready for what his return might look like? are we asking the Holy Spirit to keep us tender and aware and in tune with God's plan?

if we avoid the book of revelation, avoid talking about Christ's return, all because it's confusing and we "don't really know what will happen anyway," may i suggest that we will be unable to recognize Jesus when he comes back for his bride. the Jewish leaders in Jesus' day were arrogant. they thought they had it all figured out and Jesus didn't fit the cookie-cutter mold they had made for the Messiah. we need humility! we need a burning desire to know who Jesus is and how he will come again! do you really think that we can just sit here, knowing we're "saved," and expect to know, on our own arrogance, who Jesus is? who he will be?

it is arrogance to think that we just need to be sure we're saved and live for Jesus now, without regard for his coming. we are his BRIDE. a bride does not stand at the end of the aisle, waiting... a bride walks forward, toward a bridegroom that is passionately in love with her. a bride walks forward to what she does not fully know, but wants desperately to experience. a bride is not arrogant, thinking she has the groom all figured out. a bride walks forward, knowing there is much to learn, much unknown, but also knowing she can TRUST the one she walks toward. and so she does.